São Vicente conducts large‑scale landslide rescue drill with 250 responders

Emergency forces in São Vicente, Brazil, carried out a simulated landslide rescue on Thursday morning, involving more than 250 participants from the military, fire brigade, municipal guard, and health agencies. The exercise, organized by the Southeast Military Command together with the 2nd Aeromobile Infantry Battalion, replicated a major landslide on Rua da Constituição in the Morro do Itararé area. Teams practiced isolating the risk zone, locating buried residents, providing first‑aid through SAMU, and transporting victims to hospitals.

A second phase moved the operation to the Municipal School Sebastião Ribeiro, where a temporary shelter was set up for up to 250 displaced people. The shelter included triage, climate‑controlled sleeping areas, and provisions for pets, with larger animals directed to dedicated support bases. The drill aimed to improve coordination among the city hall, Army, Navy, Air Force and police, and to streamline humanitarian assistance and animal welfare during real‑world storms.

Local authorities emphasized that pre‑planned integration of these agencies is essential to reduce response times and save lives when natural disasters strike the hilly neighborhoods of São Vicente.